Kaenniar leaned against the cement wall that trailed down the ever-declining stairways of the Undercity, groaning with a deepening aching running like a tremor through his shoulder, having fallen awkwardly after Astruge and kicked him from her perch once again. Two weeks had gone by, with Kaenniar managing to receive some coin from his rudimentary carvings to purchase tiny vials of mana to sate his manalust, his decreasing meal sizes supported by Zim, who graciously offered his new blood elf friend whatever food he had extra, much to Kaenniar's reverent thanks.
The two simply continued their carving, with Zim carefully working his way up to his aged feet at intervals to ensure Astruge hadn't needed anything, sometimes even allowing Kaenniar to take to the tasks when his trollish joints were coursing with arthritis, not that Astruge was made aware of such things. If anything, it allowed Kaenniar both a familiarity of the Undercity, but more importantly, the people of the Horde as well, catching glimpses of the diverse people his Sindorei teachers had intentionally shielded him from. He was almost happy to see them all so different and varied- never did he have to see Erazen in any of their faces, only catching that face of his lover while asleep.
As the days progressed, if nothing else, Kaenniar was engrossed by ideas of where he and Erazen would travel together; beyond the enclosed borders of Quel'Thalas proved to be a magnificent world, Kaenniar catching conversations with roving parties of orcs and tauren, their descriptions of far off lands piquing Kaenniar's excitement in the most magnanimous of ways. He wanted nothing more than to share in these lands with Erazen, leaving behind their homes and becoming one with the open roads of the Eastern Kingdoms.
His whimsical thoughts were immediately halted as Astruge threw a heavy sack at his head, forcing Kaenniar to instinctively slump forward, rubbing his head as the orcess growled, "Zim'ghahn! Fetch me some more ankhs! There should be enough payment in the sack, there."
Kaenniar slid the woven bag from his head, eyeing Astruge just as she turned to enter back into her hovel, "Take that mana-less whelp if you need help carrying 'em- I know you're decrepit."
"Maybe 'n body, my lady Astruge, but certainly not 'n spirit," Zim assured with a chuckle, pushing himself to his feet, "Ya will be done."
Astruge nodded determinately as she ducked back into her hold in the wall, leaving Zim's creaking bones as he waved for Kaenniar to follow, "Ya lucky ya walk'n like that. Crouchin' 'n all that don't help'n much when we become aged."
"Like a fine aged wine that the alcohol inside breaks," Kaenniar grinned, leading Zim into a sputtering of a chuckle as he shook his head.
The troll assured, "I ain't broken yet, elf. Ya bettah not be either; Astruge be askin' you fer help. That's a good sign."
"She asked me for help? She asked you to get the- things," Kaenniar inquired with a confused tone.
"But she be askin' ya ta help me," Zim concluded, "That be her roundabout way of askin you, elf. She been ignorin' ya 'till now."
Kaenniar nodded, "I guess that's true. What, does that mean I ask for her help again?"
"Not yet; but ya gettin' close," Zim assured as the two strode into the main drag of the Undercity, rounding its massively rotund corridor, allowing the troll to think as the two of them went beyond a crowd of people onto a cement lining that was far less so.
"Astruge, she not trust easy," Zim shrugged, "It takes a strong woman ta rise ta prominence in orc society. She grew up in tha drags of Orgrimmar, nary a legacy to her family name. Made ta be a brood-bearer, if anything; that ain't exactly the most noble of tasks, unless you da mother of some powerful Chieftan 'r somethin'. Ya hear stories of tha orc woman bein' so ugly, they are put 'n shawls while matin', even with their own people. I'm not sure how true dat all is, but- Astruge, she envisioned somethin' bettah. But yah don't find any orc women in history beyond those who bred greatness or were bred by greatness."
Kaenniar's brow dropped, listening carefully as Zim continued, "Her magic, tha goals in her mind, anyway- they got her forced from her home. from her city. 'n she's spent her entire life tryin' ta return as one 'a 'dose women who breaks worlds as well as Durotan 'r Grommosh. I t'ink…"
His eyes rising curiously, Kaenniar watch Zim scratch his neck, deliberating with himself whether to spout of his own opinion, "I t'ink… She just lookin' fer a place ta call her own. 'r somethin' she can think of as such. That ain't found in a hole of th' Undercity. nor's it found among her people, given her skillset and her lineage. She's rough, but… She's just 's unsure as anyone else."
Zim shrugged, "Just m' thinkin', anyway. I had t' be opportunistic ta learn that much. She knows ya ain't leavin' now; might be why she gave ya this task, why she kicks you 'n passin', why she hits you with stop as. She just wants ta see if she can trust ya with the rigors of her knowledge, of knowin' her at all, as brusque as she is. Whatevah ya want, ya hav'ta earn it, elf."
"I understand," Kaenniar nodded.
With a slow nod, Zim replied mod-stride, "Good thing, mon. Ya got a determined heart, I know dat. Not many people'd chip off an entire nail with tha chisel 'n keep on goin'."
Kaenniar grinned, "There was a little girl watching me carve something; I couldn't stop and disappoint her."
"Yet ya could tell out obscenities?" Zim questioned with a laugh, forcing a frown upon Kaenniar's face.
The elf complained, "Hey, come on, give me some credit for apologizing while still in searing pain. Look, the nail still hasn't-"
Bringing up his once-mangled nail, Kaenniar's eyes went wide as he noticed it having returned to its normal state, causing him a magnanimous gasp before his hand could fly up closer to his face, "It-! You saw it before, didn't you?!"
Zim shrugged, "Ya didn't get too close ta magic with ya people either, I guessin'…"
"Well, no, I was a bit of an out- Look, this was magic?! It looks so natural!" Kaenniar exclaimed heatedly enough, still examining the dismangled nail with shock.
His troll companion chuckled, "Astruge be doin' just that. I told ya, she workin' with tha impossible."
"I just thought you meant-"
Zim retorted in interruption, "She be talkin' to tha lady elders of the past, those who've been deceased many years. I be doubtin' a nail-"
"She's doing what?!" Kaenniar asked aloud, the curiosity in his voice molding alongside the awe tinging his loud tone.
Without answering, Zim turned into a shop that had been worn into the granite walls of the city, ducking into the hanging drapes of the entryway as Kaenniar slid on in after him, his lips pursed in shock as he quickly examined the odd-looking knick-knacks lining the walls. Zim quickly waved him closer to him, the two men coming to the counter as the undead man behind the counter shifted his head suspiciously, as if unsure of the two guest's intentions.
"Names," the undead man asked, more as a command than a request.
Zim grumbled, "Ya be knowin' it's me, Call."
The man's empty eyes turned toward Kaenniar, "I'm not acquainted with this one, and quite frankly, I ain't about to take your word when it comes t' vouching for him! You'd bring the entire Horde 'n here if ya had the chance!"
Kaenniar caught Zim's sidelong glance as the troll explained mildly, "I might be bringin' in a few unwelcome types 'n here from time ta time…"
"Unwelcome?!" Call demanded with offense, "My wares're certifiably uncertifiable! Ya get those manawraiths on me, 'n I'm-!"
A voice emerged from behind the curtains of the entrance, a green hand reaching through to push away the thick lines of fabric, "Litton Call. You should know by now, I'd never have that."
The undead man frowned, his eyes growing more dead as his arms crossed before his chest, "Astruge…"
"Astruge?!" Kaenniar exclaimed, suddenly terrified that the woman had followed them amidst their earlier conversation.
Sure enough, the orcess stepped into the tiny shop, shrugging carelessly as she strode in toward her trollish assistant, "Zim'ghahn's judgement is as good as my own. Besides, I'd never let anything happen to my favorite shop."
Call grumbled distastefully, "Only 'cause it's so cheap…"
"Hey now, I ensure you get by," Astruge replied simply, "I can't have you packing up shop when I- Are those Nage baubles?!"
She dashed toward the counter, forcing her way in between her assistant and Kaenniar, before nearly collapsing into the shopkeeper's desk in wonderment, a single finger poking at the tiny, glowing object in front of her. Kaenniar turned to Zim with confusion, though the troll merely nodded, a motion that seemed more comforting coming from one so much older and, hopefully, wiser.
"Anyway, we be needin' some ankhs," Zim spoke up, uncertain of Astruge's faculties by this point, presenting the sack of coins.
Litton Call returned his stare to Kaenniar, "Not with him here. Nine of ten people who'd love to put me outta business are blood elves! I ain't about to risk-!"
"He's my student," Astruge muttered, rising to her feet, "and that bauble is from the Slitherblade tribes, not the Blackfathom ones."
Call's voice seethed, "Do what?!"
"Someone must've taken you for a-"
"Not the bauble!" Call countered, "The student!"
Kaenniar spoke up timidly, awash with his own confusion, "Yeah, I-"
"I thought you'd ask," Astruge groaned, slipping the coin-filled sack from Zim's grasp and dropping it atop the desk with a massive THUMP before the sound of sliding coinage brought the sack toward the table, "I only need two ankhs. The rest of that is to buy your cooperation."
Litton Call's eyes slid suspiciously, his body slowly beginning to slump to the side before grabbing two ankhs from behind his desk, sliding them cautiously across the desk toward Astruge's waiting clutches.
"I don't need it bein' ten outta ten…" Call muttered.
Astruge smirked, "I assure you, my friend, it won't be. This elf knows his place. Don't you?"
Her fierce-looking face turned toward him, Kaenniar felt a whole sense of uncertainty, quickly stammering to life, "Y-Yes."
Nodding her assurance, Astruge returned to Call, "See? I train them all well; you should know that, of all people."
"Too well…" Call repeated in a smarmy sort of way, as though reading her words as sardonic, yanking the sack of coins back toward him, "Just take the ankhs and leave. I can't have you three in here avertin' business."
Astruge smiled, grappling the two men's arms on either side of her and turned to leave, taking care not to accidentally pull one of Zim's joints out of alignment. Only after they'd left did she relinquish her hold, walking silently back along the circling road as Kaenniar watched with confusion, and a tad bit of curiosity, sharing his gaze with both her and Zim, the troll curling his lips inward in his own investigative manner.
"Well, what's the hold up?!" Astruge wondered loudly, returning to a more characteristic attitude, "I won't be having you two sharing stories about me behind my back as well."
Kaenniar shot a terrified glance toward Zim, though the troll merely chuckled, "Never underestimate one who so easily does the impossible."
"You heard us?!" Kaenniar questioned shakily, "W-Why didn't you-?"
"What Zim'ghahn said was the truth- well, it was until he began prattling on about me wanting a home or whatever the hell. What have I to worry about the truth?" Astruge asked.
Kaenniar spoke up again, "And that bit about me being-"
"Are you two gonna get a move on?!" Astruge instructed, turning to walk off, leaving Kaenniar wanting.
So close, perhaps, to his goal, Kaenniar rushed to catch up to the orcess, grabbing her arm to stop her, though that only released a snarling glance from the woman as she whipped around defiantly, yanking her arm away from his grasp.
"How dare you-"
"You said I was your student!" Kaenniar spoke up, insistence pasted throughout his voice, "Is that true?!"
Astruge scoffed, "I was covering my own hide back there, Paleray, 'n don't you forget that."
His heart dropping into his gut, Kaenniar weakened considerably, his arms tingling listlessly as his energy dissipated, "But-… But…"
The orcess shrugged as she threw her open hands down her tunic to straighten out the wrinkles Kaennier had left it, "You haven't even asked; why should I take you under my tutelage?"
His ears perking, Kaenniar's eyes arose, staring up toward Astruge's uninterested glance. Was this an 'in'? Was Astruge indeed offering him instruction, if only he asked now? His chest fluttered with possibility, his quest so closely reaching its pinnacle.
"L-Lady Astruge," he asked, emulating Zim's usual title for her, suddenly speaking with a furious haste, "Teach me, please!"
He felt his skin tingle with worry as Astruge's eyes narrowed toward him, as if deep in consultation, a final attempt to figure out this man that had simply appeared there. Whom had nothing to offer besides that futile thing known as 'love'.
"In my many years," she began, her tone rising, "I wouldn't ever take you as a pupil."
Kaenniar's eyes tightened, half-expecting such an answer. He bit his lip, lowering his head to think of the logistics of working his way to the next person to ask, yet with little coin, though his ears continued to catch Astruge's seething speech.
"You're a blood elf, wholly worthless without magic. And then you come to me with 'love's being your only advantage, or so you claim. All I see is somebody so stupid as to hear 'no' and stick around like some vagrant, thinking there would ever be a chance of a 'yes'," Astruge criticized, her lips turning into a frown as her arms crossed.
"And yet, I will take you," she grumbled, earning her a sudden upturned face from Kaenniar, just about snapping g his neck at the speed of such a motion.
"W-What?" "Huh?" Kaenniar and Zim both spoke up in shock.
Astruge shrugged, "Were it up to me, I'd have you kicked out of my way. I began feeling bad about the passive-aggression I showed against you anyway. But I am but a mere servant to those great women before me, and if they see something about you, particularly Mewir Aridlash… I have little choice but to follow their direction if I truly wish to become like them."
"I- I don't-" Kaenniar spoke up incredulously, "I don't believe I understand."
Grumbling underneath her breath, Astruge explained, "Of course not. I use these ankhs to resurrect those old, defeated spirits, and I study from them as I might a teacher. How did you think I meant when I spoke of doing the impossible?"
"I- Well, not that," Kaenniar stammered.
Astruge rolled her eyes, "Aridlash, an old orcess from the Second War who died as one of the highest Chieftains. She seems to have taken a liking to you, elf, though I could speak as to why. She happened to appeal to my pride, mentioning how neat it'd be to work magic out of somebody who cannot possibly do such a thing. I can't exactly arg-"
"Th-Thank you!" Kaenniar exclaimed, leaping toward Astruge, who immediately recoiled in terror, arms outstretched to fend off the invader.
"H-Hey! No touching!" she shouted dismissively, still with fright in her voice, "Zim! Get your little elf under control!"
Zim could only chuckle, only stopping once his aching back demanded his immediate attention.
Astruge warned, having calmed down herself, "Look, for one, no promises. I may deal with the impossible, but I'm no miracle worker- leave that to the Pantheon. I merely do as the gods allow. Second, you'd better listen to my every instruction. Litton Call didn't meet me as an undead, I'll let you know."
A chill ran down Kaenniar's spine, but he'd already known he would accept. Even now, with that threat of a fate worse than death hanging in the air, Kaenniar had little else but to reply affirmatively. He already knew that a life without Erazen, his beloved partner, was not a life he would ever choose to live, anyway.
